Chapter 12

The next day, the market was bustling with activity. Meng Ruji's stall was set up beside Miaomiao's noodle stall. Squatting down, Meng Ruji watched the lively crowd, noticing the joy on everyone’s faces. She turned to Miaomiao, who was resting nearby with a cup of water, and asked, "Is there a festival today? It's so lively."

"No," Miaomiao replied. "The soldiers who transport goods have returned from other places today. They bring back many new items that aren’t usually available, including food and daily necessities. Our market is much richer because of them!"

"You have other places here?" Meng Ruji asked, surprised. "Do you mean the human world?"

"No, no, I mean the outside world," Miaomiao clarified. "Wuliu Land is vast, but we don't venture out much, so few people know about it. Besides us, there are towns, mountains, and seas beyond Wuliu Land. There's also Zhuliu City, known for its trade. I’ve heard it’s a massive city, and the city lord is said to be wealthy enough to rival a kingdom!"

Meng Ruji’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "So, how did the mayor of Zhuliu City become so wealthy?"

"Are you thinking of learning from him?" The noodle stall boss, overhearing their conversation, chuckled. "I’d love to learn from him too! If I had his opportunities, my noodle stall would make more money than his!"

Meng Ruji asked earnestly, "What opportunities did he have?"

"How would I know?" The boss replied. "If I knew, I’d be rich by now instead of still serving noodles! But I do know that people who make a lot of money must have chances others don’t."

So, they’re all dreamers, Meng Ruji thought.

A diner interrupted, "What other opportunities? It’s just murder and robbery. Those who get rich often do so by sending others to the afterlife and inheriting their wealth. They’re not good people."

Miaomiao and the boss exchanged glances but didn’t respond. Meng Ruji raised an eyebrow and took note of one thing—where there's no place to stay, sending others to the afterlife could mean inheriting their property.

The diner, feeling he had spoken a harsh truth, continued, "Also, this morning, I heard that the goods the government shipped from Zhuliu City were almost robbed yesterday!"

Meng Ruji’s eyes lit up. "Who tried to rob the government’s vehicle?"

"It was a group of bandits," the boss said. "They’ve been hiding in the mountains outside the northern suburbs."

"Bandits!" Meng Ruji stood up, her fingers twitching as if she were already counting money. "Are they still around? Didn’t you say there were no major thieves?"

"Those are bandits, not petty thieves," Miaomiao said, tugging at Meng Ruji’s sleeve to make her sit down. "They’re some distance away from us."

"What’s the difference between a bandit and a knight?" The diner chimed in. "I see them as knights! The wealth in Zhuliu City should be shared! What’s concerning isn’t a lack of goods but unequal distribution! Why doesn’t the city lord share some of it with us? He can’t possibly consume all of it!"

"The robbers won’t hand out their spoils to you for free," Miaomiao retorted, displeased. "The soldiers transporting the goods are risking their lives for you. Isn’t that enough?"

The diner raised his voice, "The goods in Zhuliu City should be stolen! Whoever robs them is justified!"

His loud voice drew the attention of nearby people, and the boss hurried over to calm the situation. Miaomiao, unwilling to argue further, rolled her eyes and pulled Meng Ruji aside.

"Sister, I know you and Master Mu Sui are capable, but don’t provoke those bandits. They’re desperate criminals, dangerous people who really kill! Even the government has tried to wipe them out, but they always come back."

Meng Ruji thought for a moment. "How many of them are there?"

Miaomiao shook her head. "I’m not sure, but there must be at least thirty or fifty. How else could they rob the government’s vehicle?"

Meng Ruji calculated that if there were that many, it would be reckless for her and Mu Sui to take them on now. She’d have to think it over and find a way to lure them out one by one.

Moreover, she needed to learn the bandits' exact location and numbers from the government. Most importantly, she had to consider how much reward the government would offer for taking them down...

"I know my limits," Meng Ruji reassured Miaomiao, patting her on the shoulder. "Don’t be upset by that diner. It’s not the lack of money that’s the issue, but the inequality. He shouts the loudest, but if thieves came to rob his house, he’d shout even louder."

Miaomiao stomped her foot in frustration. "I just can’t stand him."

While the two talked, the diner had been persuaded to leave by the boss. Meng Ruji watched as the diner walked into an alley. For a moment, she thought she saw a familiar figure following him, someone who looked like... Mu Sui?

Didn't she tell him to stay in the hut? Meng Ruji leaned over to take another look, but the man had already walked into the alley and disappeared. At this time, the wooden board with "Workmanship" written on it in front of Meng Ruji was knocked with a wooden stick. Meng Ruji looked up and saw a man in a tight suit standing in front of her stall, carrying a black package.

"Help me deliver this?" the man said in a low voice.

With business coming, Meng Ruji decided to put aside her doubts and trust Mu Sui, because in the past half month, Mu Sui showed no signs of recovering his memory. He was still like a little wild beast, wary of others but very close to her, completely trusting her, listening to her, as if he really regarded her as a sister. He should not disobey her "order."

What Meng Ruji missed was that the figure she just saw was indeed Mu Sui.

Mu Sui naturally saw Meng Ruji on the street. Seeing her chatting with Miaomiao and noticing that there were also customers coming to her stall, he restrained his urge to get close to her and quickly walked into the alley.

Since Meng Ruji told him not to catch the thief, Mu Sui did listen to her obediently and stayed in the cabin for... two days. Because Meng Ruji would tell him every day when she went out to work, "Try to meditate." So he tried it for two days and found out that it didn't work.

It wasn't that Meng Ruji's teachings were ineffective, nor that Mu Sui lacked effort. The issue was that this place hindered him. His body retained a memory of cultivation, and he could sense that he had once wielded spiritual power. But now, something was blocking him, likely due to some unseen restriction. Given the circumstances, the path of cultivation seemed unattainable, so Mu Sui reluctantly abandoned it.

When Meng Ruji left, he would first quietly follow her to see what she was doing at the market. After knowing that she was working hard at the market but was not in danger, Mu Sui started to do other things, such as trying to solve Meng Ruji's anxiety.

Mu Sui didn't like seeing her sigh helplessly while staring into the distance. He liked seeing her looking at him with bright eyes, liked her smile, and liked the warm breath emanating from her body. This breath seemed to have power, which could push the blood in his body to flow faster, making him feel warmer. Just like... touching her.

In order to make Meng Ruji less worried, Mu Sui thought of many ways. For example, he found that Meng Ruji liked to pick fruits. When she picked fruits, she would always nod with satisfaction and then sigh, "God will not leave me without a chance." Then she continued to pick fruits happily.

Therefore, in order for Meng Ruji to pick fruits every day, Mu Sui marked a territory in the forest where they lived. When he met other people who came to pick fruits, he drove them away. After driving away several groups of people, he ensured that there were always enough fruits in this forest. He didn't pick them himself; he just waited for Meng Ruji to pick them. She liked picking fruits, and Mu Sui liked watching her pick fruits. Mu Sui liked hearing her say proudly, "Mu Sui, you see, you still have to rely on me." He would nod in agreement and say sincerely, "Yes, Meng Ruji, it's all up to you."

For example, Mu Sui noticed that Meng Ruji didn’t enjoy hunting. When he was out catching thieves, she would sometimes hunt in the woods. Occasionally, she’d catch a rabbit or a chicken, but whenever she brought it back, she would sigh and say, "It’s just this little meat—how could it ever be enough?"

So, in order to stop her from worrying, Mu Sui later caught all the wild rabbits and pheasants in the woods while she was out working. There was no waste. After slaughtering them, he secretly took them to the market to exchange for wild potatoes and cheap vegetables. A little meat could be exchanged for a lot of vegetables. He brought them back and told Meng Ruji that he dug them up in the woods.

After Meng Ruji was happy, she became melancholy again. She asked him, "You dug up so much, aren't you tired?"

Then Mu Sui decided to do the same in the future. However, he had to finish eating all the yams and vegetables before Meng Ruji came back, so that Meng Ruji would not find out that he went out during the day. Moreover, he could eat less at night, so Meng Ruji would be less worried.

Finally, it was yesterday. Mu Sui saw Meng Ruji coming back very melancholy, and she was not very happy when picking fruits. While he was sitting in the house washing fruits, she sighed from time to time.

Mu Sui thought about it and felt that he should do something. He went out, wanting to take advantage of the night to walk farther, catch some wild rabbits and pheasants, and give them to Meng Ruji, asking her to go to the market tomorrow to exchange them for her favorite "money," so that she would not worry about food.

But when he walked a little further, Mu Sui saw a person running fast in the night. It was the thief who had stolen the bag, holding a sack and a knife in his hand. He was in a hurry, looking behind him from time to time, as if he was hiding something.

In the night farther away, there were some rustling footsteps. Mu Sui had sharp ears and heard at least 20 to 30 people in the distance, about 30 feet away. The man in front was alone.

Mu Sui watched the lone thief moving through the forest at night, and in that moment, he understood. Meng Ruji often lamented that there were no large animals in the forest, which she found disappointing. Seeing that the man ahead was tall and strong, Mu Sui decided to kill him, thinking they could finally have a proper meal that night.

But he never expected it would make Meng Ruji even more upset. She was furious with him, so much so that she almost refused to let him back into the house...

However, after thinking it over all night, Mu Sui realized that while the lone thief might not be useful as a meal, he could serve other purposes... For instance...

With a loud "bang," Mu Sui pushed open a shabby wooden door. Inside, the thief who had stolen the bag stood, trembling and looking at Mu Sui. "B-Big brother... please don't kill me," he stammered, his voice shaking.

Mu Sui had a blank expression: "Let's talk inside."

The room was simply furnished with a table, a bench, and a wooden bed, with quilts piled up in a mess. There was a strange smell.

Mu Sui walked into the room and sat on the stool in front of the table. The stool had a backrest. Almost subconsciously, Mu Sui leaned back slightly, habitually trying to hold something with his right hand.

When his hand was empty, Mu Sui looked at his right hand in confusion. He used to... maybe he often sat on a chair with a backrest. He would lean against the backrest, and it seemed that he often held something in his hand...

When Mu Sui was looking at his right hand in a daze, the thief who had stolen the bag wisely poured tea and served it to Mu Sui.

"Brother... why is it you again..." He looked like he was about to cry, "Did you come here by smelling my scent..."

"Yes."

"Ah?"

"What were you doing last night?"

"I... I... You know about that too? Are you the person who knocked me out yesterday...?"

"Where did you go?" Mu Sui's eyes grew cold.

Terrified, the thief replied, "To the market. After you caught me last time, I couldn't make a living there anymore. I planned to go to the mountains and join the bandits in the northern suburbs. Yesterday, I was supposed to help them rob a government convoy returning from Zhuliu City... But halfway there, I got scared and ran back. I'm too timid to be a bandit anymore."

So he was left alone.

Mu Sui's fingertips tapped the table unconsciously: "Have you ever been to the bandits' lair in the northern suburbs?"

"I went there when I surrendered."

"Draw it now."

"Ah? What should I draw?"

"A map of the bandits' lair."

The thief swallowed hard and, under great pressure, looked at Mu Sui timidly: "Big... Big brother... are you going to catch the thieves? They are bandits! Big brother... I... I really don't dare to draw it..."

Mu Sui looked at the thief coldly: "If you don't draw it, I will kill you."

The thief didn't dare say another word. He searched for a pen and paper in the room for a long time, and finally took the burnt charcoal and drew on the table.

"I don't know if my drawing is accurate, but... you must not say that I drew it..."

Mu Sui glanced at the map on the table, memorized it, and then stood up. The thief thought he was going to leave, so he stood up crying, but he didn't expect that when he was about to reach the door, Mu Sui suddenly turned around: "Do you have any food left?"

"...Ah? What?"

"I'll pay you back later."

"Ah... oh... uh... there's still a little bit here..."

After Mu Sui filled his stomach and left the thief’s house, he cast a slow, deliberate glance toward the other side of the alley.

As he memorized the layout of the area, Mu Sui pondered whether he should capture all the bandits and thieves, ensuring that Meng Ruji would have a steady supply of food for a long time.

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